Captain Stanley’s Seafood Staying Busy

I was headed home last night around 6 and saw the crowded parking lot at Captain Stanley’s Seafood, newly opened on Falls of the Neuse, near Spring Forest Road. My wife and I were planning to try it. We waited to visit til 7:10.

The parking lot was full and a number of people were waiting in the entry, but we were told the wait would be 20 minutes. We spent the time walking around the nearby Fresh Market and returned on schedule to be promptly seated. There were still people arriving at 7:30 with a number waiting and as we walked to our table we found the restaurant was filled. It is divided into a number of rooms with booth seating and some tables.

A waiter arrived at our table promptly with hush puppies and menus. They offer broiled and Calabash-style fried seafood. There are a number of ways to tailor what you want. You can pick different combinations and then choose a small or large plate.

I ordered a large three item combination with shrimp, oysters and scallops. You have a choice of two sides. I picked a baked potato and cole slaw. It was $15. My wife had a small plate of flounder with baked potato. It was $9.

The large plate I ordered was too much food. There were lots of oysters and scallops and they were good. The potato and cole slaw were both good. I saved the shrimp for later. My wife was pleased with the flounder, lots of filets well prepared. She ate about one third and we had plenty to take home.

We enjoyed the hush puppies; they were on the heavy side.

Our server seemed a bit overwhelmed, and explained that they were busy and had problems with their computer system. The food was served quickly and was well prepared. Other staff helped get us drinks and provided refills.

The food and service were good. What I really liked was the ability to tailor my order and the variety of fried seafood I was able to choose from.

The restaurant has had a parking lot filled with cars for lunch and dinner. They’re a welcome addition to the Falls of the Neuse strip of restaurants.